Thursday, January 31, 2013

Feeling really lucky to have a couple of days at home, so I'm catching up on emails and blogs... and doing lots of sewing... interspersed with baking and cooking for my guys.

Here's my progress on the R/W/B quilt ...

sashings on,

borders too...

but am thinking I will add one more row across the bottom. :o)

I'm sooooo close to having this ready to be basted. Plus, now that I've added some new storage to my sewing room, everything I need for finishing is at my finger tips. You don't know how happy that makes me! lol. I will be sharing updated pictures of my sewing room soon. I'm just delighted with how this room has taken shape. It's finally closer to my dream idea for a organized and attractive creative space. I'm so grateful to have this room for working on my creative passions.

Madame Samm, for all their work behind the scenes that make these hops possible. Brilliantly done, ladies!

I decided to try a few different ideas for my own "Dare to Dresden" project. I made a huge dresden (it's 38" in diameter! :o)...to serve as a table cloth on our kitchen table.

I made blades using 8 different fabrics combined with blades using quilter's linen. Then I took my scraps from cutting out those blades, pieced them together and inserted them randomly into some quilter's linen blades.

Loving that stripey binding... even if it was more work to make sure I matched those stripes when piecing it! lol

I also thought it would be more interesting to play around with the grouping of my blades - in some places I put 3 blades made from strips together, interspersed with scrappy blades. My idea was to make your eye keep moving and not find the layout too predictable. Do you think I accomplished that? lol...

Here's a collage where you can see my scrappy blades better as well the texture I achieved by using wavy line quilting.

I had so much fun creating my kitchen table dresden and it really perks the room up with those happy colours. Hopefully my project will inspire you to "Dare to Dresden"!

Thanks for visiting, hope to see you again. Now please go say hello to these lovely ladies who are also sharing their dresdens with us today...

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Good news! I've been working on one of the quilts I've set myself the goal of finishing for the first quarter of the Finish-A-Long. I had 25 blocks already stitched up, but decided the quilt needed to be bigger. :o) I tend to do that with every quilt that would be lap-sized. It seems I want every quilt I make to at least be large enough for a twin-size bed. ;o)

Since sewing the first blocks this past summer, I've added a few new fabrics to my stash that I thought would work well as new additions. I stitched up 6 new blocks to help increase the finished size and am adding sashing strips between. Which means, once borders are on, my quilt will fit a twin-size bed. Yay!

It's been a while since I worked with fun fur and I think I forgot just how messy it can be. Little bits of "fur" seem to be everywhere and sticking onto everything (note to self: don't wear polar fleece when working with this stuff otherwise you can end up looking like a shedding yeti... tee hee...)

Cannot wait until my niece sees what I made her!

The pictures gives you no indication of the actual size of these furry creatures.

The Mama is 26" tall when sitting, so she's nearly 3 feet tall standing... her tail is 20" long... so she is a big girl and this means she will be chest high on my young neice!

(Which is something S. was very excited about. ;o)

The little Joey is 13" high to the top of his long ears and is so soft and cuddly. I used the same reddish-tinged brown fur for his body as I did on his mama's, but used a soft, short pile plush for his underside, whereas Mama Roo has a long curly white fur for her underside.

I know S. will love to tote this little fellow around.

I expect they will have many adventures together. :o)

There's no real question as to why my niece chose for me to make this darling duo. They're definitely cute, but the clincher was finding out that the Joey could be tucked into his Mama's pouch (see photo below). I was pretty certain that from all the choices of animals for me to make her, a mama with her baby would be the one requested. I can hardly wait to give this to my niece and see the look on her face!

My nephew had much simpler tastes when I asked him what creature he'd like me to make for him. He selected the pattern to make this dolphin. A real simple design and better yet... it's made from polar fleece.

I've mentioned before how wonderfulpolar fleece is to make stuffies from. It doesn't ravel or shed and it is so cuddly soft. At two feet in length, there's lots of dolphin here my nephew will be able to snuggle with.

Dolphin for B.

Now that all promised furry creatures have been made, it's time for a good vaccuuming! With all the fake fur bits floating around, the house looks as if we own a shedding pet. lolI'm linking up withCrazy Mom Quilts Finish-it-up-Friday!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Seeing the wonderful scrappy trip along blocks that have been appearing all over blogland in the past couple of weeks had me running for my sewing room and grabbing out fabric with glee.

I thought this block would allow me to get some mileage out of odds and ends as well as putting to use some of my less "loved" fabrics (which means ones I don't really like and want to use up ;o).

Anyways, after looking through the Flickr group, I thought everyone's blocks looked so fantastic.

It appears that this Trip Around the World block is magical! It could transfer "whatever" fabric- into something beautiful.

I decided that other than to take note that as long as I remembered to have a contrast in value with my own fabric choices (so I would see the diagonal flow of each block) I would go for broke and be as random as possible.

Going against my usual fabric choices and inclination for order, I took a deep breath and cut with abandon.

I told myself not to overanalyze my choices, to just let go and trust that the ultimate scrappiness would win me over and surprise me.

Suprise me?

Yes, it did.

Not in a good way! lol

See for yourself...

I stopped at four. I had too.

No scrappy magic here. lol

Not wanting to be too harsh or judgmental after being brave... (or is that crazy?) I thought that after a late nite of sewing them, that they may look better to me in the morning.

2. Mini Scrappy Grannies - I've been cutting 1.5" squares in bright colours over the past year, putting them in their own special bin for making mini grannies. I have already assembled some blocks and have loads more waiting to be made. It may be a crazy idea but I'd like to make these into a king-sized quilt to match my pillows.

3. My version of Made in Cherry - fabrics for star are cut but need to get background decided upon and gather backing and binding to make this quilt.

4. ManDarin- crazy 9 patch blocks are already made for this quilt for my hubby. The long delay in finishing has been due to waiting for his contribution to the design. I want it done so he can use it this winter!

5.Red/White/Blue- started by making a few of these blocks for a themed blog hop and fell in love. Decided that I must make more blocks and turn it into a quilt! Now blocks are made and have everything I need to finish. Excited to see this one come together and use some quilter's linen for the first time (for sashing!).

6. Plush Kangaroo Mama and Joey - for my niece. S. selected this pattern from a book I have and has been eagerly awaiting this since her visit in Sept. Kinda sheepish that it's taken so long for me to get around to this one.

Are you laughing yet? I am! That's 5 quilts I want to finish in the first 3 months of this year. Nothing like setting a big goal to reach for, right? ;o)

I think it's possible and it would be oh-so-wonderful to finally get these completed... then I wouldn't feel half so guilty about all the new quilts I know I will start this year. ;o)

What I'm not adding to this quarter's FAL list is each of the smaller projects that are UFOs. I set the bar high having listed those 5 quilts... why freak myself out completely by divulging every UFO that is hiding in my sewing room! lol

Friday, January 11, 2013

I had such high hopes for completing some WIPS that have been lingering in my sewing room for the better part of 2012 before the year was out. Thrilled as I was to complete my first king-size quilt, I really wanted to have this next quilt finished as well. Part of the reason it's waited so long has been because of how slowly I have been acquiring orange fabrics for it. Just when I think I have enough and I can call the top finished...

I decide it needs to be a little bit bigger.

Currently, "Orange Twirl" is 60" x 72". Which seemed large when it was on my design wall, but when laid out on the floor it doesn't seem large enough. sigh

If I made it to fit a twin sized bed, I think I would be satisfied. So should I just add a scrappy border or do I start making more blocks? I'm having a tough time deciding.... Mostly because I want no borders, but making more blocks means I need more orange fabrics to keep it random looking and with the right balance of values.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Give me any excuse to play with colour and pretty fabrics and I'll take it.

There is something so compelling and alluring about grouping them together...(I've even caught myself unconsciously rearranging bolts at the fabric store when I'm browsing, placing them so that colours are graduated or complimenting one another... my hubby has caught me at it and asks if I'm looking to work at the store... lol).

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Happily, lots of sewing has been happening as I try to make the most of a gap in my work schedule (due to a reno job that my hubby is doing solo this week!).

I think I'm trying to "bank" some sewing hours, knowing that I'll be soon back working full-time installing kitchens with my hubby and won't have the same time (or energy) for my creative pursuits.

Since finishing up my king-size quilt a few days ago, I decided to indulge in a few new projects. ;o) I set to work cutting some strips to do a little piecing.

Once my piecing was complete and I trimmed things up, I was left with some pretty scraps. You know I cannot resist scraps! lol No surprise then, that I took those scrappy bits and pieced them together.

Here they are pieced and with their edges trimmed!

I find something almost magical in taking scraps and making some usable patchwork from them. It's highly addictive. ;o)

Take a good look at the sizes of those saved scraps. I made 2" wide strips from all those leftover bits and love how no two scraps are the same size! This is why I don't throw out even the tiniest bits of fabric. lol

What am I makingwith all those strips and scraps, you ask...?

Well, let me just say, "What goes around, comes around!"

Cryptic? Maybe a little. ;o)

It's a secretive work in progress and fingers crossed, I will be sharing the finish with you before the end of the month. Can't tell you more than that, for now, but I'm pretty sure you'll like it. ;o)